January has been a good month for reading and thinking. With the cold weather, I’ve been sequestered on my couch, warming myself with my laptop. Here’s what’s been flowing through my brain.
The Kingdom, The Power, And The Glory by Tim Alberta – Although it was written over a year ago, and is a bit out of date with the new election cycle, Alberta’s book was a fascinating insight for this non-Evangelical Christian about the tension among Evangelicals between preaching politics versus the gospel from the pulpit. It explains a great deal about how American politics works today and what we should expect from the next four years.
Paul Krugman talks about his Substack – I’ve always been a Krugman fan, and this interview still does not explain exactly why the popular NYT columnist chose to strike out on his own on Substack. But his move represents one more spinoff for big, institutional news organizations losing readers to one, or two-man band newsletters, as the Washington Post also lost columnist Jennifer Rubin to her own substack.
Americans Still Don’t Realize What TikTok Is – Another great entry from the excellent “Garbage Day” newsletter, a quick tutorial on TikTok’s truly insidious intent: To get you to buy stuff from preferred vendors.
New Bedford’s Struggling Oysters – My dad grew up here. Once, in Chicago I slurped up an oyster from Buzzard’s Bay and the taste and smell immediately transported me to my grandfather’s backyard. This brief article from one of my favorite local news startups, The New Bedford Light, tells the story of a struggling local industry. Reading this newspaper gives me a window on an America I just don’t get anywhere else.
Ancient American Dugout Canoes – No matter where you go, there’s archeology happening. The idea that someone found a 1,200 year old canoe in Lake Mendota, right by my alma mater University of Wisconsin, is kind of mind blowing to me.
Private, High End Restaurants Going Unused – In super expensive NYC apartment buildings, the chic new thing is to have a restaurant with a Michelin-starred chef that nobody goes to. Condo owners are required to make five-figure minimum monthly spends, but it appears they fork over the cash without ever stopping by. If this isn’t a sign of living in a New Gilded Age, I don’t know what is.
Where are the trains? – Catenarymaps.org and trains.fyi allow you to see exactly where every subway, commuter, and intercity train in North America is at the moment. I like to check now and then just to see what’s going on.
Dave Chappelle’s SNL Monologue – The sketches were meh, but his 17 minute set – written just for this appearance – demonstrated that he’s a master of his craft. Funny and deeply insightful. How does he keep doing it?
Progresso Soup Drops – Not a joke and I admit, I’m curious. If you see them in a store, let me know! I’ll pick some up.
Regeneratively-Grown Climate Blend Flour – King Arthur Flour is selling a blend made from wheat from no-till, low nitrogen, fields that use cover crops. It doesn’t make the flour taste different (as far as I can tell), but the process stores carbon in the soil. If every American farmer did this, the U.S. could reduce its carbon impact by 10%. Unfortunately, King Arthur is selling their flour for more than twice the usual price. This is a pure cash grab, since regenerative farming doesn’t cost more to do.
The Art Institute of Chicago – On one of the coldest days of the month, Teresa and I went to see some art, with a special visit to see my favorite, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. It was a reminder that seeing the physical art is so much more powerful than just a photo. “This is real and someone made it,” it tells you. Seeing great art and craft in the flesh is always inspiring.
100 EV models now for sale in the US – A researcher compiled this spreadsheet detailing every model available in the US and their differences. And yet: There’s a preponderance of SUVs and luxury models, many with modest ranges between 230 and 300 miles. Where are the cheap grocery getters with 150 mile ranges? Or a medium-priced car with no features, but a decent range? Looking through this list you realize there’s an illusion of choice when it comes to EVs in the United States. I wish someone would fix that.
Cha Cha Jimenez and Chicago’s Lost Lincoln Park – Puerto Rican and one-time community organizer in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, José “Cha Cha” Jimenez died earlier this month. In the 1960’s and 70’s he led protests against corrupt landlords and called for increased city services. My family, in 1979, was one of the gentrifiers that pushed Puerto Rican families out of Lincoln Park as it transitioned into one of Chicago’s toniest neighborhoods. The amazing pictures from this article remind you that cities change over the decades, and what seems permanent today is just an evolution into something else tomorrow.
How Madrid built its metro cheaply – Spain has been building subways and intercity rail lines at a frantic pace over the last 20 years. In 12 years, Madrid boosted its subway mileage to put it on par with Beijing and Shanghai. It’s possible for liberal democracies to build great things. They just have to prioritize them.
What Made Jimmy Carter Such a Strange President – Maybe it’s because when I was five, I wrote a letter to President Carter and he responded, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the man. Now that he’s passed, perhaps historians will begin to do real work on how his presidency was more impactful than we’ve given him credit.